The present invention relates to a mounting structure for cymbals, a hi-hat stand, and a closed hi-hat attachment including the mounting structure.
As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,063,819, for example, a hi-hat stand includes a stand body, a foot pedal, and a rod that selectively descends and ascends as the foot pedal is depressed or released. A hi-hat is configured by a pair of cymbals, which are a bottom cymbal supported by the upper end of the stand body in a slightly inclined posture and a top cymbal attached horizontally to the upper end of the rod.
The hi-hat is played by operating the foot pedal to cause the top cymbal attached to the rod to selectively contact and separate from the bottom cymbal. When the foot pedal is depressed, the top cymbal descends integrally with the rod. Specifically, a portion of the circumferential edge of the top cymbal initially contacts a portion of the circumferential edge of the bottom cymbal that is located higher than the remainder of the circumferential edge of the bottom cymbal. Then, the remainder of the circumferential edge of the top cymbal is brought into contact with the circumferential edge of the bottom cymbal sequentially from higher to lower portions. That is, as the foot pedal is depressed, the circumferential edge of the top cymbal and the circumferential edge of the bottom cymbal come into contact with each other not at one time but sequentially in the opposite direction from the portions at which the top cymbal and the bottom cymbal initially contact each other.
As has been described, the top cymbal contacts the bottom cymbal while changing its orientation in correspondence with the inclination angle of the bottom cymbal. In this manner, contact between the top cymbal and the bottom cymbal is brought about while allowing the air to escape from the gap between the top cymbal and the bottom cymbal. This allows the hi-hat to resonantly produce its characteristic sound. When the foot pedal is released, the top cymbal ascends integrally with the rod and separates from the bottom cymbal. In other words, the top cymbal restores its original horizontal posture from the posture inclined by the bottom cymbal.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,063,819 discloses a structure for mounting a bottom cymbal to a hi-hat stand in an inclined posture. In this structure, as illustrated in FIG. 9, a tubular retainer 101 is fixed to the upper end of a pipe 100. A flat receiving plate 102 is supported by the retainer 101 to be pivotable via a shaft 103. A damper member 106 formed of a felt piece is arranged on the top surface of the receiving plate 102 to absorb vibration from a bottom cymbal BS. A nut 101a is attached to the end of the retainer 101 opposite to the shaft 103. An adjustment thread 108 is threaded into the nut 101a with the distal end of the adjustment thread 108 facing upward. The distal end of the adjustment thread 108 is held in contact with a bottom surface 102a of the receiving plate 102. In this mounting structure, by rotating the adjustment thread 108 to selectively advance and retract the adjustment thread 108, the receiving plate 102 is pivoted about the shaft 103 to adjust the inclination angle of the bottom cymbal BS. The inclination angle of the bottom cymbal BS is fixed by fastening a lock nut 110, which is threaded onto the adjustment thread 108, with respect to the retainer 101.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,177,621 discloses a closed hi-hat attachment as a mounting structure for cymbals. The closed hi-hat attachment has a mounting structure for cymbals that is similar to the structure illustrated in FIG. 9.
As has been described, the top cymbal is located above the bottom cymbal when the foot pedal is not depressed. When the foot pedal is depressed, the top cymbal descends and contacts the bottom cymbal. However, in the mounting structure disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,063,819, after the top cymbal ascends and descends repeatedly through depression of the foot pedal, the top cymbal may ascend without restoring its original horizontal posture after having been inclined in correspondence with the inclination angle of the bottom cymbal. Particularly, if the foot pedal is operated in a rapidly repeated manner, the top cymbal cannot restore its horizontal posture and thus ascends or descends in the inclined posture in many cases. Such movement of the top cymbal prevents the hi-hat from sufficiently producing its characteristic sound.